Fluid turbine



July 23, 1940. R. R. HARRIS FLUID TURBINE Filed March 2, 1938 2 sheets-sneak 1 July 23, 1940.

R. R. HARRIS FLUID TURBINE Filed March 2, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 23, 19 40 more!) STATES PATENT OFFICE FLUID TURBINE Romaine E. Harris, Portland, Greg, assignor to W. E. Clifton, Yakima, Wash.

Application March 2, 1938, Serial No. 193,5il

2 Claims. (Cl. 253-65) The object of my invention is to provide a Fig. 6 is a plan view, taken in the direction of turbine for use with any appropriate operating the arrow 6 in Fig. 1, with portions of the frame fluid, which turbine is adapted to be driven efiior stator of said'rotors shown broken away and ciently by aid fluid and to be easily and quickly in section, to disclose details of construction 5 reversed in direction of rotation. A further obwhich would'otherwise be C d; ject of my invention is to provide a turbine Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line adapted for use with steam, or other hot vapor ll- 7in Fig. 6, and shows the construction and which has the portions arranged so that the arrangement of the Operating portions of the chambers for said fluid are spaced substantially rotor housed Within the Stator;

from the journal bearing so that the journal Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 19 bearing may be kept cool and lubricated and in Fig. 6, and illustrates the central chamber into the parts adjacent said bearing will not become Which e Operating uid is co ected as it is warped or otherwise affected adversely by the passed thru the grooved rotor and is returned to effector the heated condition of said operating the fluid conduits; and

h mb Fig. 9 isfa cross-sectional View taken on the 15 A further object of my invention is to proline Q-El in Fig "I, and illustrates the manner ide g, turbine of this character with jets and in which a pair of. IOtOls OI 8. multiple rotor peripheral grooves around the rotor portion of can be housed within a common stator and keyed said turbine so that the fluid emitted from said to a. common shaft so as to rotate said shaft 55 jets will function efiectively with said grooved e c ively in oppo ite directions. rotors to propel the latter about their axis of A turbine embodying my invention comprises rotation, a frame a which also constitutes the stator of A further object of my invention is to 'prosaid rotor. Said frame definestwo alined but vide a turbine of this character in which the spa pe p Operating chambers b arra Steam may be itt d t the operating chamat opposite sides thereof. Covering said operathers and removed therefrom without the necesing chambers are side members 0 secured to said sity of providing packed or otherwise sealed joints frame and lying across the p face of said about the conduits therefor. peripheral chambers, being secured by studs or Further details of my invention and the mode bolts d. Said side members, thus, are removably 1 of operation thereof are hereinafter described secured to the frame, and when detached, pro with reference to the accompanying drawings vide accessinto said operating chambers. Said i which; side members also engage the outer faces of a Fig. 1 is an elevation of a turbine embodying pair of rotors e, fixed to a common shaft 1, by my invention, in which figure, the conduits for keys 9. Said shaft is journalled within a bearthe ingress and egress of fluid are illustrated; ing it, supported withinv a spider i, constitutin a, 35

Fig. 2 is an elevation of said turbine taken in part ofthe frame a, as is illustrated in Fig. .8. the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1, illustrat- Each rotor has an elongated hub. e seated ing particularly the manner in which control upon the shaft f, and said hub is designed to give valves may be simultaneously operated to conlateral stability to said hub. Formed about the trol the flow of fluid selectively to either of the rim portion 62 of said rotor is a wider section &0 operating chambers to drive the rotors in either upon which is arranged a series of radially of opposite directions of rotation, thereby to tending vanes 7', deflninggrooves 7" between them. produce a reversible turbine; The faces of the frame Opposing said r t r Fig. 3 is a detailed section taken on the line are provided with outstanding guide flanges a 33 in Fig. 2, and illustrates the manner in which engage the underface of the rim portion which the conduits are adapted to extend over 62, and corresponding flanges'c' are arranged a wide angular portion of the circular face of upon the side members secured to said frame id rotors; and underlie the opposite face of said section Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view taken on the :22. Thus the said flanges are arranged to pre- 55 line 4-4 in Fig. 1, showing the operating strucvent the escape of operating fluid from the peture of a control valve; ripheral operating chambers in which the rotor Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 4 and illusvanes move. It is desirable to provide relatively trates the manner in which operating fluid can complicated'interlocking members between the h be directed to either of two Operating chambers stationary part of said turbine and the rotating 5-5 to secure reversal .of operation .of said turbine; part thereof. I have not illustrated any such 56' inventio-n.

members could comprise packing, opposed flanges sealing members which constitute no part of my Suflice it to say that said sealing est to the apertures is inclined substantially in thesame general direction as the inclination of said apertures but at a slightly greater angle to the'face of the stator. and at the far side or discharge side thereof said groove is inclined in the opposite direction with respect to the angle at which the apertures k enter the operating chamber. The arrangement; of the grooves in this manner tends to permit the operating fluid to enter the grooves easily but permits the velocity of the fluid entering thru said jets to strike the faces of the vanes anddrive the rotor in the direction to which said apertures are inclined. The continued move mentof the fluid about said vanes tends to induce, further rotation ofsaid rotors, andI have found that the curving. of said vanes in this manner tends to promote greater efficiency than if said grooves" were lineal, either extending directly crosswise of the face of the rotor or be+ 7 ing inclined angularly with respect thereto.

As I have illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 6, the grooves on one rotor are arranged to drive said rotor in one direction, while the grooves on the other rotorare adapted to rotate it in the opposite direction. Thejets are inclined like-i wise, and thus if operating fluid is admitted thru the jets at one side, the rotor assembly is driven in one direction, while if it is admitted thru jets at the opposite side, the direction of rotation is reversed. The operating fluid is admitted to the operating chambers 12 thru intake conduits I,

one arranged at each side, each conduit having a plurality of' branches 1. Each branch terminates in an "arcuate terminal 122 adapted to overlie a plurality of jetting apertures k. Thus when fluid is admitted to propel a rotor, it is admitted "at several difi'erent points thru the branches 1, and each branch is vadaptedrto sup-' ply a number of jets so that there are a largej number of jets of fluid directed upon the vanes .of each rotor, and the effect thus is cumulative. Fluid passes thru said jets, along said grooves, to

central chamber is common to all of the grooves of a rotor, as is noted in Fig. 8, and a single discharge aperture 12' permits the operating fluid.

a central chamber 11. for each of the rotors.

to escape from said chamber 11..

As is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, there are two operating chambers b in connection with two rotors, -and there are two central chambers, one for each rotor.

Operating'fluid is supplied to pipe 1 At the point where the supply pipe 11 joins the intake conduit 1, a control valve 1 is V arranged. A similar control valve 8 joins the dissihar e,.ri e;, t9.;tne discha ge conduit 0., Said I preferably arrange said Said groove is curved Conduits olead from each of the central chambers andjoin at a common point. said turbine thru ,asupply pipe 1), and fluid is. carried, away. from said turbine by a discharge valves are similar, and in Figs. 4 and 5, I illustrate diagrammatically how a valve of this character may operate. the discharge valve s, but it is to be understood that the intake valve functions and is constructed similarly. Said valve comprises a body s, a central tapered plug 82 in which is arranged an angular passageway s3. Said passageway may be arranged to connect the discharge pipe q with' the left-hand conduit 0, as is shown in Fig. 4, or it may be rotated so that it causes said pipe q to communicate with the right-hand conduit 0. It can'also be arranged so that the imperforate 1 portion 84 lies across the mouth of the discharge pipe and across one of the conduits o and thus flow is prevented thru the body 8'.

I arrange a control handle it upon one of said valves, and arrange arms 1' and 85, respectively, on said intake valve 7" and discharge valve 8. Said arms are secured to the plugs so as to cause thelatter to rotate within their bodies. Said two arms are connected by a link member it. Thus, angular movement of one arm produces similar angular movement of the other. Thus, if it is desired to rotate the turbine in one direction, the control handle is movedangularly so that the intake conduit 1 leading to one rotor is-caused to communicate with the supply pipe p. Simultai neously the discharge conduit for said rotor is caused to communicate with the discharge pipe I have shown a section thru and thus a flow of operating fluid is directed thru said rotor to drive it. If said turbine is to be rotated in the opposite direction, the position of said control handle t is reversed and the operating fluid is cut off from the first mentioned rotor and ispermitted to act upon the rotor at the opposite side of said turbine. If it is desired to cut off theoperating fluid frornboth sides, the operating handle is arranged so that the plugs in said valves are arranged so that the imperforate portions $4 of both of said plugs are adapted to overlie the supply pipe and the discharge pipe, respectively.

It is to be noted that the operating chambers, their central chambers, and the peripheral portions, of the'rotor, are'all spaced substantially from the central bearing.- The central portions of the stators, as well as the rotors, are open so that cooling air can flow freelyabout the bearings' and between said operating chambers and they are not heated unduly by the radiation of heat from said operating chambers if a heated vapor, suchas steam, is used. As is illustrated sides ofthe stators, and it is desirable thatsaid conduits be heavily insulated. Sections of insulation are not shown in the drawings because such would conceal other operating parts which would underlie them. It is to be assumed, how

ever,.that the portions areall heavily insulated so asto minimize radiation and other heat losses.

' 1. In a fluid turbine, a shaft journalled in a frame, a stator carried by said frame, said stator defining an annular operating chamber, flanges on the portions of said stator comprising the wallsof 'said' chamber, a rotor carried by said in Fig. 2, conduits are spaced laterally from the 5o the shaft portion This tends to permit the bear? ings to be maintained more or less cool, that is, f

with means for directing said fluid at high velocity against vanes arranged around the periphery of said rotor thereby to cause rotation of the latter.

2. In a fluid turbine, a shaft journalled in a frame, a stator carried by said frame, said stator defining an annular operating chamber, flanges on the portions of said stator comprising the Walls of said chamber, a rotor carried by said shaft,

10 said rotor having a laterally projecting rim adapted to be housed within said operating chamber, the inner and side faces of said rim being adapted to engage the outer faces of said flanges and the Walls of said operating chamber to confine a fluid under pressure therein, said stator being provided with means for directing said fluid at high velocity against vanes arranged around the periphery of said rotor thereby to 

